Sector
Mafikeng has a variety of first class facilities including the airport with its 4.6km runway. This will be a world-class facility with an international, multi-modal (air, rail and road) non-scheduled cargo port associated with manufacturing, trade facilitation and relief operations into Africa.
Mafikeng is located on the East-West and North-South crossroads into Southern Africa. There is abundant land and a large labour pool.
Positioning your business within a multi-modal transport hub with the associated electronic trading floor and infrastructure will provide you with the benefit of effectively and efficiently distributing your products into Africa and the rest of the world.
The industrial development zone (IDZ) at Mafikeng in South Africa will redeploy Mafikeng International Airport (MIA) as the North West Province’s international port of entry. MIA is promoted as a hub for non-scheduled international air cargo services.
An IDZ is defined as a purpose-built industrial estate that is linked to an international port containing a customs secure area which is designated for the purposes of encouraging export manufacturing.
The investment theme and sectoral investment programme of the Mafikeng IDZ is to become a world-class hub for the manufacturing of high tech electronic components and systems, mineral beneficiation and processing of agricultural products.
The proposed establishment of an IDZ and the redeployment of MIA represent a significant step in the North West Province’s strategy for the restructuring of the provincial economy. This strategy is based on the realisation that the province’s natural resources such as minerals and agriculture are depreciating sectors with limited beneficiation taking place at present. The provincial government has recognised the imperative to start initiatives to place the province on a long-term development path that is sustainable and economically viable. Such a sustainable development path can only be achieved if the province can succeed in becoming nationally and internationally competitive.
The North West Province has identified for itself a future niche in manufacturing, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, trade facilitation, tourism and the transport sector. This is due to its well established industrial capacity at major development nodes such as Rosslyn, Rustenburg and others, access to resources and strategic central location in Southern Africa, namely in the middle of the Maputo-to-Walvis Bay Coast-to-Coast Platinum Spatial Development Initiative (SDI); as well as on the main South-to-North Corridor (Western Frontier Corridor) from Kimberly via Taung, Vryburg and Mafikeng to Lobatse in Botswana and hence to the central markets of the South African Development Community (SADC).
The anchor projects that have been identified to receive priority during the Greater Mafikeng Development and Growth Initiative Programme are the following:
- obtain port of entry/export designation for the airport
- negotiate an IDZ operator licence
- aviation maintenance especially for Russian-manufactured aircraft
- minerals park
This IDZ programme is aimed at the following national and provincial priorities:
- job creation
- infrastructure provision
- poverty alleviation
- skills development
- good governance
- crime prevention
The total value of the investment projects is approximately R 6 256.3-million (at current prices) which amounts to approximately 0.7% of South Africa’s GDP in 2000 (at current prices).
The unique theming conceptualised for the IDZ at Mafikeng focuses on three strategic sectors.
First focus area
To promote the IDZ as a manufacturing hub for electronic components, wireless tracking and tracing
equipment, systems and services for the South and Southern African markets. The downstream manufacturing and associated distribution rights comprise the following sub-sectors within the information communications and technology sector:
- electronic and digital products – DVDs, high density tapes, disks, computer chips, etc.
- telecommunications – hardware and software
- satellite communications – hardware and software
- electronic maps – hardware and software for real-time routing, scheduling and monitoring
- electronic data interchange – systems for paperless transactions and e-commerce
- electronic order board – order consolidation and bulk buying for SMMEs in mining and wholesaling for export transactions
The electronic manufacturing sub-sector forms an integral part of what is defined as strategic investments by the National Treasury of the Department of Finance.
Second focus area
To promote the establishment of a Minerals Beneficiation Park within the IDZ at Mafikeng. The mineral beneficiation programme targets the following manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing sectors:
- cutting and polishing of precious and semi-precious stones
- manufacturing of platinum jewellery
- manufacturing of gold jewellery
- cutting and polishing of granite and marble
- wholesale and retail selling of precious and semi-precious stones
- Skills development; and Mineral Beneficiation forms an integral part of the Economic Growth and Development Policies of the Province and the National Government.
Third focus area
To promote the processing and refinement of agricultural products such:
- meat processing and packaging
- refinement and packaging of vegetable oils, including the promotion, production and use of bio-energy (alternative fuels)
By establishing and adding these specialised manufacturing and technical capacities to the manufacturing and professional services sectors of Mafikeng, North West Province and South Africa can make a significant contribution towards economic growth and development, complement the existing knowledge base and promote economic diversification and local specialisation opportunities in the sectors and subsectors listed above.
The geographic spread, sectoral and market linkages of the strategic sectors of manufacturing, mining and agriculture are the main considerations, rationale and drivers in support of the investment theme and manufacturing silos to be promoted within the industrial park at Mafikeng in the rural hinterland of the North West Province.
For more information on this exciting venture please contact the project office:
Tel.: (+27 18) 384 4148
Fax: (+27 18) 384 4149
